Today we introduce  the Israeli delegation and its topic,  toxic waste pollution.

The issue is critical to students at the High School for Environment Studies in Negev, Israel: A toxic waste dumping site is very close to their school in the Negev Desert.

The high school - a boarding school for students from across the country- focuses on environmental issues.

Poisonous chemicals have been dumped into nearby landfills.  In their research, the students discovered no central government agency with complete oversight of the project.

hey also discovered a history of landfill privatization, toxic chemical releases and a health threat  because if increasing population in the area.

"Just as Israel has looked at its desert region as a 'back door' for sweeping its toxic  waste under the carpet, so the industrialized nations have often sought 'back doors' in their own countries, and in many cases have simply solved  problems by dumping toxic materials onto third world countries," wrote students Liron Ben-Yakov  in their presentation for the International Youth Summit.

The students are calling for citizen action and renewed government oversight, as well  as a ban  on toxic-waste  trade and a rethinking of the global reliance on toxic substances.

They look at the issue as one of the major factors affecting the global environment and refer to catastrophic problems in the United States, such as residential pollution in Love Canal, New York, as  examples if toxic waste dangers.

"Toxic waste makes me feel as if we're destroying humans and destroying our country and  nature.  We need to change our thoughts to find a solution."
Liron Ben-Yakor, 16 student,  High school for environmental studies SDE-Boker, Israel